Mail box



J'. C. BEER Sept. 13,1927.

MAIL BOX Filed Jan.28. 1926 mwa",

WMM, twg@ Patented Sept. 13,1927.

f UNITED Asra'rias 'i JAMES C. BEER, Olli"v LONG BECH, CALIFORNIA.

-I MAIL Box.

Appnatikqn sied 4Janus-y 25,1926. serial Nq. 84,333'.

Myinv'entionisfa mail box particularly 'adapted for stacks of`individual boxes suitable 'for apartmenthousesor hotels and in whichthe mail Acarrier for the manager of the apartment house'or hotel mayplace the n tion with` .wood

individual mail 'in place for the occupantsof the building. f y

An objectV of my vinvention is in the form of cabinet structurelsupporting the boxes andforiningfthis structurein such a manner thatthehardwareused'for securingl and hinging the doors lalso functions vtobind the elements 'ofthe cabinet work together. The typelofmailboxparticular'ly set forth here'- in isdesigned for wooden or metalconstrucl n boxes," theboxes yhaving metal doors 'withploclsI y f l fAnother object my invention is to construct the framingforming the frontofthe individualboxes and the supports for. the individual doors 'y forsuchl boxes in such manner that thestructure may be incorporatedin alarge Ycabinet by beingbuilt into or secured to the'doorof the largecabinet, this cabinet having fan arrangementfor in sertion` of mail inbulk by` the-postman to be ldistributedfbythe manager; of anV apartmenthouse'or`- hotel and alsohavng provision for: mailing of letters Aortliellike to` bel,collect`ed by the ,postman n f. p l. My ,specificinvention set forth herein i 'may be: cansan-*ea asserting fol-a1 ya'type of mail box 'construetion which may be used toy form the'mail boxof my application, Serial No 25,260 filed April 23rd, 1925.

- My invention will, be rnore'readily under- Y stood. froirrl the.following 'description and drawings,in whichn i ,Figure 1 is aperspective view of a cabinet .having my mail boxes' incorporated ftherein;V

'Fig.'2 is a detailfvvertical section on the line v2-2 showingtheframing stile and connection of the hardware for securing the Inetaldoors thereto. y k 7 Figi is a1 detail front view of part of 'thecabinet fas'if taken inthe direction of thearrow 3.0i Fig. k2, with ,thedoors an their hinge elements removed'. f n

` "Figa is a detail' horizontal sectionv on the line 4--4 of Figs. 2 and3, vshowing' the manner of'tting the.partitions,"stile and cross rails."l

4 The mail boxlis preferably yenclosed in a cabinet which is designatedgenerally by the numeral 1, having side 2, atop 3 and hinged ,door i@site from( The deer supports a stack of individual boxesdesignatedgenerallyby vthe numeral 5. -The Y .door structure built upvsubstantiallyas follows: i Y vT-Wo side stiles 6 andextend preferably'from the floor yup .to` the top. A cross' rail 8 is'titted acrossthe'seistiles. A panel 9 is f positionedlacross the lower, end`r ofy thelstiles and hinges 10 support the door from the side iframe.Y`Intermediate Y'stiles 11 extend between the cross rails-Sand the crossrail 12l which is Vpositioned above the panel '.9

and preferably mortised therein asindicatedby the numeral 13., -Theseintermediate s'tiles together with the vside stiles form a means forsupporting"thev boxesltogether with intermediate sectional cross-railsYv14. The intermediate stiles have a rectangular mortise15 extendingfrom, side to side and theside stiles V6 and 7hav`e1a recessedY morfvtise 16.v `Theseinortises are preferably of greater dimensions .ina'vertical direotion than horizontal. .f The intermediatev cross railsections are formed with atenon 17 anda tenen 18 littingin'the mortises..15 andvadjac'ent the stiles 6 and 7 suitable tenons 19 are fittedtherein. 1 A

Byfthis construction the sections ofthe cross rail abut inside thevtenon of the inter- 'fol mediate stilesas yindicated by the. numeral 2Oy1in. Figs. 3 and e. This construction builds up a solid structure inthe cpen'fspace in the'doorbetweenthe stiles 6 and l'Z' and the crossrails 8 and 12. f f The intermediate'stiles havesquared holes 21extending therethrough from front Vto back across ,the Inortfises 15asv-indicated in i Figs.2 `and 4, these squared holes being positionedin front of andbehind .the tenon 18j. Squared nuts 22 are fittedfinthese squared holes 21 on the outside and the lowermost nut. has asocket 23 andthe intermediate and top nut have vertical Aapertures 24extending therethrough. These apertures and the socket 23k are toreceive the pintlerod25 onY f which the doors of the individual boxesare swung'as hereunder set forth. i v

Bolts 26 are inserted inthe squaredpholes 21from the. rear land arethreaded into the nuts 22 thereby. securing theln firmly in place. Thesebolts extend through a'bored hole y27 in the tenon 18. {Ifzdesired thehole Onfthe inside of the stile may be circularjand of merely sufficientsize to allow insertion of thebolt andthe bolt head. It will beunderstood that the nuts fitted in the side stile (i are secured in asimilar 11111111101" to that above described. l

The individual boxes are then built up substantially as follows:

Vertical beads 28 are either Yformed integral with or secured to thebaci: ot the interinediate stile il. Partitions Q9 are fitted close. tothese beads and are positioned to cover the open end SO oi the holes Q11on the inner side ol' the intermediate stile thus closing in the boltsQG. Cross rails 3l are si cured to the inner side of the stiles betweenthe partitions 29 and between the intermediate stiles and the sidestiles 6 and 7. These foi-1n a iii-ont support for the iloor 32 oli thebotes, the floor of one box 'forming the ceilingoit' the box below.

The doors for the individual boxes are reierabljT made of sheet metaland have t, iead S3 through which the pintle rod E25 eX- tends, thedoors being designed with a pressed-in portion 34; with an edge iiange35, this llang'e being :nlapted to lit 'lint against the front suriaceoi the stiles and the" section cross rails. A; loclt 3G secured to thedoors by means of which the individual boxesniay be locked- From theabove construction it will be seen that I provide a door which ma)v bereadilyY swung on its hinges and is built` o'l' a substantialconstruction readiljT assembled ior holding the lock boxes. In theillustration I show three tiers of boxes 37 and three rows 3S to a tier,but it is manifest that a larger or smaller number oit bones' could bebuilt into the hinged door. The above described construct-ion allows thedoors to be made in sections and to be fitted together according to thesize desired for any par# ticular installatioin utilizing substantiallystandard parts throughout.

The panel 9 is provided with a door 39 leading to a compartmentunderneath the stack of lock boxes for the apartment house owner totalte out and deliver thepareel post packages which may be deposited onthe inside by the mail carrier. ik postage slot el() is provided in oneside oi the door and a postal" department lock lll to allow access tothe interior of the cabinet which interior arrangement would prcteiabli7be substantiall;T the same as set forth in mv patent application asabove mentioned. It desired a plug of some nature may be inserted in theuppermost squared nut to prevent removal of the pintle rod Q5 upwardlyand as it cannot be forced downuardli7 through the socket it is manifestthat the doors ior the individualboxes are secured to the main door in asubstantial manner.

ItpwillV be. understood that ii desired the stack oit lock boxes may bebuilt into a strong structure or any suitable supliorting arrangementindependent of the cabinet construction, in which rase access to theboxes ior inserting mail may be either through the Yiront individualdoors as shown or through a .single door or individual doors at theback. these latter being under the control of an oilicer oi' thebuilding in which the inail box is located.

Although my inail box construction is of a simple character, it Will beapparent that it could' be modified in gene 'al construction and inspeciiic details to suit di'lierent installations and that such changeswould be within the spirit ot my invention as set iforth in thedescription, drawings and claims.

Haring described my invention, what I claim is:

l.. A mail box comprising in combination a stack ot individuali boxeshaving' i1`1t`ern`1ediate Stiles and sectional cross rails be tween thestiles` doors hingedly connected to the stiles ior individual boxes,means connecting part oi the hinge, Stiles and sec`- tional cross railsthereby binding the stiles and sectional cross rails together.

2. A mail box as claimed in claini 1, the hinge including' a continuousvertoalpintle rod for a plurality of box doors in a tier, securingmembers bolted through the inten mediate stiles and sectional crossrails' securing the pintle rod in position.

3. A inail box comprising" in combination. a door structure having sidestiles, top and bottoni cross rails. intermediate stiles ex tendinglbetween the cross rails, sectional cross rails extending between theintermediate stiles and between such Stiles andthe side Stiles, hingesconnected to the vertical stiles.y means connecting said hinges, stilesand sectional ails to bind" the intermediate stiles and the sectional'rails together and individual box doors supported o'n said hinges.'

Ll; el mailbox as claimed in claim 3, in Whicli the hinges comprisesupporting elements extending outwardly from the stiles and being boltedthrough the" sectional cross rails and through the Stiles, a continuousrertical pintle rod at each of the intermediate stiles and at one of theside Stiles eX'- tending through said supporting elements, the doorsbeing supportedl on said" pintle rods.

5. A mail box structure comprising" in combination side framing and topandL bottom lflaming members, intermediate vertical Stiles havinghorizontal mortises therethrough from side toside, said Stiles fittingbetween the top andbottoni framing meinbers, sectional cross railslitting between the intermediate stiles and the side framing members`some oi the sectional rails having tenons fitting in the inortlises andabutting end to end, doors hingedly connected`` to the intermediatestiles, a hole extending through l t) O lIl() the stiles from front toback across the mortises, nut-like supporting elements mounted fthe faceof the stiles through the supporting elements7 the doors being mountedon said intle rods. f

p 6. n a mail box structure, stiles having horizontal mortisestherethrough from side to side, sectional cross railseach having a tenonon oppositegends, the tenon of adjacent rails abutting in afniortise,holes through the stiles from front to rear, nutlil7n supportingelements litting in said holes.

on the outside face of the Stiles, bolts eX- tending through tenons fromthe inside face of the stiles, pintle rods extending vertically in frontof the Stiles through a plurality of the nut-like supporting elementsand individual box doors mounted on said rods.

7 In a mail box structure as claimed in claim 6, having 'in additionbeads on the inside face of the stiles, vertical partitions extendingrearwardly from the stiles adjacentthe beads, said partitions coveringthe holes Jfrom the inside face of the stilesand closingv in the bolts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification.

- .JAMES C. BEER.

